The Mystic Prophecy
by angel17712
Summary: A misunderstanding, a misread prophecy, & some unknown darkness lead to dangerous times ahead for the Mystic Mermaid and her Phoenix. Join Nick & Maddy as they struggle to save their relationship and see the mysterious Mystic Prophecy through to the end!
1. Foreboding and the Prophecy

Title: Prophecies and Foreboding

Date-1/6/07

A/N- Thanks SO SO much to Pink-Green-White-4ever for betaing! You rock, girl! This chapter is dedicated to her:)

A figure sits in a large armchair that has been placed in front of a roaring fire. To the normal onlooker, this handsome, young man would seem to be very at peace, poring over a piece of parchment. The true reality is that he is not at peace. The piece of parchment holds an ancient prophecy which had been written thousands of years before. The young man leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers together, taking a long sigh. "I will find a way to make sure that this does happen. The mystic mermaid will bear me a child, no matter what. She will be mine and no one else's, and I'll get to fulfill my father's evil desires," he laughed harshly and coldly. If an onlooker were to read the piece of parchment, they would see that there was a prophecy written upon it, just as the young man had declared.

'_In the time following the coming of the Light, the bearer of the Mystic Mermaid will conceive a child with one whose parentage is of both the Light, and the Darkness. The child will be even stronger than The Light, and able to overcome any that stands in it's way.'_

"It fits perfectly, this prophecy does. I AM the one that it is speaking of; I need only get closer to the Mystic Mermaid," the young man chuckled to himself. His mind was fast at work, formulating a plan that would have amazed even his father. "This is going to be all too easy for me. Let the games begin."

* * *

Nick sat in a wooden chair on the porch of his adoptive parents' home. His real parents were inside, preparing their things for the return home. He wasn't completely sure as to how they'd react to his telling them that he would be staying behind, but he hoped that they would be all right with it. He still had a lot of thinking to do, and where he was, he could do it and not have to worry about his friends asking questions like how he was and what had happened while he'd been gone. He wasn't sure as to what would happen when he finally did go home, but he knew one thing for sure: he missed Madison a lot. He had talked to her a few times over the phone, and each time he heard how everyone was doing before he always managed to pull out of her that she was fine, but waiting for him to come home to her. As much as he wanted that too, he couldn't go home, not just yet. He knew that he needed to sort things out concerning himself and his place in the world before he could go home and face the music.

His parents came out onto the porch, shaking him out of his thoughts. They both had their bags in hand, ready to return home to Briarwood. Udonna looked at him in surprise. "Aren't you coming home as well, Nick?"

Nick sighed. He'd already known that he would be having this conversation and he knew what he was going to say. "No, I'm gonna be staying here for a few more days. I need some more time to think."

"Are you going to be all right, Son?" Lianbow questioned.

"Yeah, I will be. I just need some time to myself. Trust me, I'll be home soon, I promise."

Udonna sighed, setting her lips in a thin line. "Is there anything that you would like for us to tell your friends?"

"Just tell them that I'll see them when I come home. I should be heading out of here in another few days," Nick explained.

They nodded their approval, knowing that he could take care of himself if by some chance a problem should arise. They secured their bags onto the back of their motorcycles, and then took turns saying their goodbyes to their only son.

"I love you, Bowen. Please be careful, all right?" Udonna asked as she held him tightly.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll be okay and home before you know it," Nick told her.

Udonna reluctantly let him go, unbidden tears starting to fill her eyes. Her hands went to her eyes, wiping the tears away. Nick faced his father, both of them just looking at each other. Without a word, they pulled each other into a strong embrace, knowing that nothing needed to be said between them.

Udonna and Lianbow mounted their motorcycles and secured their helmets. "See you soon, Son. We love you," said Lianbow.

Nick smiled. He had his real parents back, and no one could take feeling away from him. "I love you guys, too. I'll see you in a few days," he told them.

Udonna and Lianbow hit the starters on their bikes, and then rode slowly down the driveway and onto the road, waving as they left. Nick waved after them, sad to see them go, even though they both needed and wanted to return back to Rootcore. He returned to his seat on the porch, where his Mp3 player and a light blue blanket lay. He picked both of the items up and sat down, placing the headphones on his ears and pressing play on the device, his arms wrapped up in the blanket that reminded him so much of Madison. He wanted to go home, but he knew that if he went now, then all the thoughts and insecurities that had been plaguing him about himself and Madison would come rushing back. God, he missed her more than anything, and he'd give anything just to have her here with him. He wrapped himself up tightly in the blanket, **as** a cold, chilling breeze **blew **through the air **sending** a shiver running down his spine. "I hope that's not a sign that something evil is coming," he groaned. Little did he know how right he was, that something was coming, and it wouldn't be good.

* * *

Madison sat by the edge of the pond, practicing her water manipulation. Although she and the team had defeated the Master awhile ago, she didn't want to get out of practice should something happen and she was needed. A red blanket with yellow thread lay in her lap. She kept it with her to remind her of Nick and that he would be coming home soon. She missed him so much that sometimes it hurt, but he'd told her that he was coming home soon, and she was content with that.

Madison sighed. Although she didn't mind practicing, it took a bit out of her. She stopped moving her wand and leaned against a tree for support. As her mind wandered, she subconsciously clutched the red blanket, enfolding herself in it. A cold breeze blew through, startling her out of her thoughts. "What's up with that?" Madison wondered aloud. She shook her head, but before she could lose herself in her daydreams again, she heard the roar of approaching motorcycles. 'Nick! He's back home, just like he promised!' Madison jumped up, the blanket forgotten at her feet. She ran as fast as she could towards the roars that assaulted her ears, not caring how loud they were, as long as she could see Nick. She followed the sound to the entrance of Rootcore. She stood hunched over to catch her breath for a moment, and then straightened, seeing only two motorcycles, and not three.

"Hello, Madison, how have you been?" Udonna asked pleasantly.

"I've been okay. Umm, where's Nick? I thought that he was coming home when you were," Madison babbled. As she said this, the dragon's mouth opened, and out walked Clare, Daggeron, Jenji, Xander, Vida and Chip. For several moments, the only thing that could be heard were the 'hellos' and the 'how was your trip's' being issued from everyone. After Udonna had greeted everyone, she gently pulled Madison off to the side. She shared a look with Lianbow, who nodded at her.

"Where's Nick?" Madison asked again, her voice sounding sad and disappointed.

Udonna sighed. "He's still with his adoptive parents'. We talked, and he said that he needed more time to himself. He said that he needed some more time to sort things out. I'm sure that he'll be all right and that he'll be coming home soon," she smiled.

Madison tried to smile and nod her head. Something else struck her. "Do you have any idea when he might be coming home?"

Udonna shook her head. "Not really. He did say that he would be home in a few more days, but he gave no specific date or time. I'm sorry, child." Udonna embraced Madison, and the tears that had been threatening to fall from Maddy's eyes did so freely. After a few moments, they parted and Madison started wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands.

"Will you be all right?" Udonna questioned.

Madison nodded her head. "Yeah, I was just hoping he'd come home today, with you. I just need to be alone for awhile."

Udonna acquiesced silently to the request and turned to enter Rootcore. Madison walked back towards the pond slowly, taking her time. She reached the spot that she had been practicing at and sat down. Now that she was alone, she let a fresh torrent of tears fall down her cheeks. She had thought that he would be coming home just like he'd promised, and now she wasn't even sure if he would be coming back to her at all.

"You okay?" a voice asked.

Madison turned her head in surprise, hoping that it was Nick. Her hopes fell when she saw that it was her sister, Vida.

"Yeah, I'll be okay, I just wanted to be alone," Madison told her sister shakily.

"Okay. Just hang in there, sis. He'll be home soon," Vida told her.

"I'm gonna wait for him. He's gonna come back, just like he promised."

Vida nodded her head once, and then headed off towards Rootcore. Madison watched her sister go, happy to be alone again with her thoughts. At least in the deep recesses of her mind, she could think of happier times when Nick had been there with her. She wrapped her arms back up in the blanket once more as a fiercer, colder breeze blew. "I hope nothing's happened to you, Nick. Just come back home to me safe," Madison hoped aloud.


	2. Painful letters

Date-1/9/07, Finished-1/10/07

Author-angel17712

Disclaimer- I don't own them at all, except for Tristan Dulhaine. Just read and you'll find out who he is. -grins evilly-

Madison sighed. So far it had been three days since Udonna and Lianbow had come back without Nick. Madison took a deep breath to relax herself. _'Stop worrying, Madison. He's just fine, he'll be home soon and then you can sort everything out with him.' _Talking to herself did little to calm herself down. She had talked to him on the phone the day that Udonna and Lianbow had come back home.

_Madison dialed the number that she knew by heart. There was one ring...two rings...finally someone on the other end picked up. _

"_Hello?" the voice on the other end asked._

_Madison smiled, happy to be talking to him. "Hey, Nick. It's me, Maddy."_

"_Hey, Maddy. How are you?"_

"_I'm okay, everything's fine." 'Except you're not here with me, then everything would be perfect,' she thought. _

_As if knowing what she was thinking, Nick replied, "I should be coming home in a few days." He waited for her response._

_Madison's breath caught in her throat. "Y-You are?"_

"_Yeah, I just needed some time to myself to think and everything," he told her. He paused for a second, unsure if he should tell her what was on his mind. "I miss you a lot. I can't wait to come home and see you."_

_Madison's eyes started to well up with tears, happy that he missed her as much as she missed him. "I miss you too. Everyone else has been wondering where you are."_

They had talked for hours on end that night, about everything that was going on. Madison had felt reassured by talking to him that he was coming home; now, she wasn't so sure. Working helped to keep her mind off of him, but no sooner did she do anything else were her thoughts of him.

She grabbed a stack of CD's that had to be put on the shelves and began to work. While she was working, she heard the bell over the door ting. _'Maybe that's him.' _She looked up from her work excitedly to see a young man, but it wasn't Nick. The young man was fairly tall with short blonde hair and blue eyes. She smiled away the hopes that had risen and walked over to greet the newcomer. "Hi, welcome to the Rock Porium. Can I help you?"

The young man held out his hand to shake hers and introduced himself. "My name is Tristan, Tristan Dulhaine. And you are?"

"My name is Madison, but my friends call me Maddy."

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "Well then, Madison, I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

Madison flushed a dark red. "So is there any way that I can help you?" she reiterated.

"Actually, there is," he told her as he released her hand reluctantly. "I'm new in town, and the word was that this was the place to come to for anything music related."

"Pretty much. We sell everything from DVD's to vinyl records, it just depends on what you're looking for. Are you looking for anything in particular?"

'_Oh, I've already found what I want,' he thought, hiding a wicked grin. _"I think I'm just going to take a look around. If I need you, I know where to find you," he smiled at her.

She nodded and walked away, having gotten a weird feeling from him. _'He looks familiar, where could I have seen him before? He's actually kinda cute, and he seems old-fashioned. No, get a grip, Madison. He said that he was new in town, so there's no way that you could have met him before. Not to mention that Nick said that he was going to be home soon.' _With those thoughts having been pushed away, she continued her work, alternating between stocking shelves and keeping an eye on the new customer. The bell tinged again and instead of letting her hopes get the best of her and jumping up to see if it was Nick, she looked up and to her disappointment, saw that Vida had walked in the door.

"Hey, sis," Madison greeted warmly, attempting to hide her disappointment.

Vida shook her head. She wasn't stupid, she knew that her sister had been hoping to see Nick instead of her. "Nice try, Maddy. It didn't work."

"What didn't work?" Madison asked, feigning innocence.

"That little act that you tried to pull just now. I know that you were expecting Nick, and I know you way too well, so don't even try to say that you weren't hoping that I was him."

Madison's shoulders slumped, knowing that she was caught. "All right, I give. I can't help it, V. I miss him so much."

"Well, then this might cheer you up." Vida pulled a white envelope out from behind her back. With a small glance, Madison saw Nick's scrawl on the front. Vida was waving it above Madison's hands, holding it just slightly out of reach.

"Come on, V! Let me see it!" Madison nearly shrieked. After a few minutes of tussling, tickling, and laughing, Vida gave up and handed her sister the letter. Vida sighed and rolled her eyes before walking to her beloved DJ tables.

Madison looked at the script on the front of the envelope, just to make sure that it was Nick's and that she wasn't getting her hopes up again. Another look at it confirmed that it was from Nick. Madison tore the envelope open excitedly, happy that he had written to her, and unfolded the letter.

_Dear Madison,_

_Hey. I'm sure by now that you know that it's me, Nick. I know that we talked just the other day on the phone, but I wanted to write to you, so I am. I hope that everything's going great there. I'm sure that Toby isn't working you guys too hard _(Madison laughed at this, knowing that Toby wasn't overworking them).

_I know that I told you that I was going to be coming home within the next few days, but now I'm not so sure. The reason I'm writing this letter to you Madison is I want you to move on from me. I'm not even sure if I'm going to be coming home at all, and I don't want you waiting for me. Just please do that for me, okay? I know that you won't want to, but please, just do it for me. _

_I'll always care about you,_

_Nick_

When she had first started reading the letter, Madison had been happy to hear from him. By the time she reached the end of it, tears were starting to pour down her cheeks. Rather than make a scene in the shop, she ran towards the door, accidentally bumping into Tristan.

"Oh, I'm s-sorry," Madison told him shakily, looking back quickly. "V, I'm going on a break for a minute!"

"Are you okay, Madison?" he asked with concern.

She nodded, not bothering to turn around to acknowledge him. The only thing that mattered right now was that she get outside, away from the record shop, so she could be alone. She wrenched the door open and raced across the street. When she reached the tree, she collapsed to her knees, all of her energy spent. Now that she was alone, she allowed herself to sob openly. She was so caught up in her own actions that she never noticed Vida walk up to her.

"Hey, what's wrong? You just ran out of there, sis," Vida asked soothingly.

Madison opened her mouth to talk, but no words came out. Instead, she held the letter out to Vida. Vida took the letter and quickly read it, her expression changing immediately from one of amusement to one of anger. "How can he do that to you? He's been getting your hopes up all this time, only to tell you to move on and that he might not even be coming home? I'm gonna kill him!"

Vida's words shocked Madison out of her thoughts. "No! You don't need to kill him. It's not really Nick, I know it."

Vida scoffed. "Maddy, it's Nick. You know it, I know it. This is even his handwriting. How could it not be him?"

"I don't know, it just isn't like him at all."

Vida shook her head, thinking that Madison was probably losing it. "Maybe you should do what he said," she sighed.

Madison looked up in shock. "What? Are you serious?"

"More than anything. If that's what Nick wants you to do, then you should do it. He's a great guy and all, but is he really worth waiting around for?"

'_More than anything else,' _Madison thought to herself. "Yeah, I think so."

"Look, just consider what he said, okay? Consider moving on?"

'_How can I? It's not even like Nick to do that. I need her to think that I'm going to consider it, maybe look as though I'm moving on, even if I never really do.' _"Okay, I'll think about it, maybe." Madison wiped her eyes with her hands.

"There's my sis. Now come on, let's go back to work, okay? Maybe some cute guys will shop at the store that we can hook you up with," Vida laughed.

Madison laughed slightly along with Vida as if to show her agreement. "Back to work." Vida helped Madison up and they both crossed the street and entered the record shop.

When they entered the shop, Tristan walked forward and looked Madison over. "Are you all right, Maddy? You ran out of here before I could even find out what was wrong."

"I'll be fine, don't worry." Madison wiped her eyes. "So did you find anything that you want to get?"

* * *

At his parents' house, Nick walked out to the mailbox. Even though his parents didn't use this house much, they still received junk mail and the like. He opened the mailbox and pulled the mail out, sorting through it as he walked back towards the house. "Junk…Junk…more junk…a letter from Maddy? I just talked to her. I hope everything's all right." 

He threw the junk mail into a trash can that was by the side of the house, then sat down to read Madison's letter.

_Dear Nick,_

_Hey! It's me, Madison. Everyone here misses you, they can't wait for you to come home. I hope that everything's going great with you. Everything's fine here. Work is work, as per usual._

_Anyway, I'm writing to tell you something. Normally, I wouldn't do something like this, but it can't wait. Nick, I met someone else. He's really sweet, and you'd like him a lot. I still miss you, but it's just that he's here, and you haven't been here. I'm sorry to do this._

_I'll love you always,_

_Madison_

Tears pricked the corners of Nick's eyes as he read the end of Madison's letter. He was going to be heading home the next day, heading home to her, and now this. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. He examined the letter, making sure that it was Madison's handwriting, which it was.

"I don't know what's going on Maddy, but I'm not gonna give you up without a fight." Nick stood and headed into the house, intent on getting back to Briarwood as soon as humanly possible.

A figure stood near Nick's adoptive parent's house. He overheard the Red ranger's response to the letter that he had read. Once Nick walked inside, the figure knew he would have to come up with something.

"My letter didn't work, so I'm just going to have to take even more drastic measures." The figure stood silently for a moment, planning his next move. He knew that he would have to strike before the Mystic Phoenix left, but what to do once he did? All of a sudden, it came to him. Grinning evilly, he disappeared using a spell, intent on preparing for getting the Phoenix out of his way for good.

A/N- ducks for cover Yes, I know! Most, if not all you, probably want to kill me right now. Trust me, that all had to happen in order for the story to happen like it's supposed to. This is going to be a NM pairing, so don't worry! Just stick it out, it'll get better eventually! smiles


	3. Being Deceived

Being Deceived

The Mystic Prophecy

Author-angel17712

Chapter 3

Date-1/13/07

Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers at all. The only character that I do own is Tristan Dulhaine. Enjoy!

Madison sighed. It had been two days since she had read the letter that had come from Nick. The realization still hadn't sunk in yet; it hadn't sunk in because she knew that he hadn't sent her that letter. _'I don't know who sent me this letter, but it sure wasn't Nick. He'd never do that to me.' _She looked at the rest of the merchandise that she still had yet to stock and groaned. She had always had a tendency to throw herself into work when something was going wrong, and this time was no different. She picked up a box and moved towards the shelves to begin stocking them. While she worked, a person snuck up behind her and grabbed her shoulders. She yelped and turned, dropping into a defensive stance.

"Calm down, it's only me," Tristan assured her as he held his hands up in a sign of surrender.

Madison regained her breath. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that. What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came here to thank you for your help the other day, and I kinda wanted to see you," he told her earnestly.

Madison blushed slightly. "Thanks, but it's just my job to help the customers."

"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't I take you out after your shift, as a way of saying thank you?"

Madison bit her lip. "Oh no, I couldn't do that, really. I'd be imposing."

"Not at all. It'd be my pleasure. You're not technically imposing if I'm asking you," he told her.

Madison didn't know how else she could tell him that she wasn't interested. Although she didn't believe that Nick was the one who had sent her the letter, she felt as though she had just gone through a major break-up, and she didn't really want to start dating again. _'Even if he is kind of cute,' she admitted to herself._ "I'd love to, but I already have other plans for tonight," she lied.

"Oh, okay. Maybe some other time then?" he suggested.

"Yeah, sure." She watched him walk away then continued to put merchandise on the shelves. Vida, having seen and overheard the whole thing, stalked up to her sister huffily.

"Why didn't you say yes? He's totally cute and I know you want to go out with him! What happened to 'moving on'?" Vida accused.

Madison groaned as she turned to face her sister. She should have known that this would happen. "It's too soon. He's a nice guy, and he's cute, but I'm not going to use him as my rebound guy."

"Then don't think of it as using him as your rebound guy. Think of it as you're just going out with him as friends, no relationship or strings attached," Vida suggested with a smile. "Please? Just go out with him once, and I won't bother you about him again."

"Or any other guys?" Madison asked.

"Hey, I can't promise you that," Vida replied. As Madison swayed back and forth trying to make her decision, Chip and Xander came up.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Chip questioned.

"My dear sis just got asked out by a guy and she turned him down. I'm trying to convince her to go out with him," Vida informed them.

"But didn't you tell us that she got a letter from Nick, with him saying that he wanted her to move on?" Xander inquired.

Vida shot him a look that told him if looks could kill, he'd be six feet under. "Yes, but there's no reason that she can't go out with that guy. Is there?" she asked menacingly.

"No, no problem at all," Chip replied fearfully.

"Same here," Xander swallowed.

"See? They agree with me, I win. Now, go and tell him that you'll go out with him," Vida said with a large grin.

Madison rolled her eyes and sighed. If going out with Tristan would get V off of her case, then she'd do it. "All right, I'm going." She turned away from her sister and her friends and began walking in Tristan's direction.

"Hey, Tristan?"

"Yes, Madison?" he replied without looking at her. She could tell that he wasn't all that happy with her and she couldn't blame him. Nobody likes to be rejected.

"Is that offer to go out with you still available?" she asked tentatively.

He looked at her with surprise in his eyes. "You're serious?"

Madison nodded. "Just as friends though."

"Of course. Yes, the offer is still available and I would love to. I'll pick you up in about an hour, then?"

Madison looked at her watch and saw that it was five p.m., knowing that she got off at six. _'How did he know that I get off at six?'_ "How did you know that I got off at six?" she asked suspiciously.

"Lucky guess. And I heard you talking about it before," he quickly lied.

"Okay. Oh, wait. You can't pick me up right at six, I need to change."

"You would look beautiful no matter what you were wearing. You look amazing now as it is. I'll see you at six," he told her as he kissed her hand.

Madison blushed a deep red and nodded. "Okay, six it is then."

"I'll pick you up then. There are some things that I have to go and take care of," he replied as he headed towards the door.

"All right, see you then." Madison could have sworn that she felt a shiver run down her spine, but she wrote it off as being cold and went back to work.

* * *

Nick looked through his bag, making sure that he had everything that he had brought with him. Once he knew he had everything, he grabbed his keys and locked up his adoptive parents' house. For some strange reason, he still had the letter that he had gotten. He didn't know why, he had wanted to throw it away the second he had finished reading it. There was something that was telling him to keep it, but he didn't know what it was. He grabbed his things and walked over to his motorcycle, putting them on it. Just as he was about to mount his bike and head for Briarwood, a person came up to him. 

"Hi, my name is Tristan. I live across the street and I was wondering if you would be willing to help me," the person asked as he held out his hand.

Nick sighed. He could help this person, but that would set him back. _'It shouldn't take me too long, and then I can get back to Briarwood, and Madison' he thought. _"Sure, why not? The name's Nick," he introduced himself as he shook Tristan's hand. "What were you needing help with?"

"Follow me," Tristan gestured to Nick. The pair crossed the street to what Nick thought was Tristan's house. In the driveway sat a motorcycle. "I've been having problems getting it to start. I can't figure out what it is."

Nick examined the motorcycle, admiring it. "Do you got any tools?"

"Yeah." Tristan handed Nick a toolbox that had appeared from nowhere. _'That's strange. Maybe it's just my mind playing tricks on me.'_ Nick took the tools and tinkered with the motorcycle. After a few minutes, he stood up and wiped his hands off.

"Go ahead, give it a shot," Nick pointed at the bike. Tristan walked over to the bike, hit the start up button, and heard the purr of the engine.

"Thanks, man. I owe you one. Hey, want a drink really quick before you leave?"

Nick hesitated, knowing that he should get going, but decided that a quick drink couldn't hurt. "Sure, I guess." Nick followed Tristan into the house, looking around. It was a fairly nice place, and it looked like it was huge. He sat down on a couch and waited.

"I've got Coke, water, lemonade…" Tristan trailed off.

"Coke's fine," Nick replied. He listened as Tristan got out some glasses and the Coke. He heard the sound of drinks being poured and ice being added, along with the clinking sound of a spoon hitting glass.

Tristan exited the kitchen, carrying two glasses of Coke. He handed one to Nick and sat on a nearby couch. "There you go. Enjoy." He took a sip of his own drink as he surveyed Nick.

"So, where ya headed?" Tristan asked, trying to make conversation.

"Back home, I live in Briarwood. I guess you could I've been on vacation for awhile," Nick replied, taking a long sip of his drink.

"Ohh, okay. Is everything okay back home?" Tristan questioned.

"Not really, but I don't really want to talk about it. It's a long story," Nick told him as he took another sip.

"Nah, it's fine. I get it, there's nothing wrong with that." Nick and Tristan sat for a few more minutes before Nick stood and placed his glass on a coaster.

"Well, hey, I've got to get going. Thanks for the drink and I hope your bike keeps working from now on," Nick told him as he moved towards the door.

"Yeah, thanks," Tristan replied. He watched as Nick swayed, his hands going to his head. "You okay?"

Nick shook his head, trying to get rid of the feeling in his head. "Not really, I'm feeling kind of dizzy."

"Sit back down till it wears off. You'll be fine," Tristan said.

Nick nodded, grateful for the hospitality. He sat on the couch, hoping that the dizziness would go away. Instead, it only increased, and a feeling of exhaustion came with it. "It's getting even worse. I don't know what's going on. I feel like I'm…. like I'm gonna…."Without another word, Nick fell to the side, unconscious.

"Finally. I thought he was never going to pass out. Now to move him and take care of his things," Tristan grinned wickedly. "He'll be out of my way, and no one will be able to stop me from getting what I want."

-ducks for cover- Yes, I know, now some of you really want to kill me! Please don't! Keep reviewing and I'll keep writing!


	4. Friends and Questions

The Mystic Prophecy

Author-Angel17712

Date- 1/27/07

Chapter 4

A/N- I don't own the Power Rangers or any of its characters. The only character that I DO own is Tristan Dulhaine. Hope everyone enjoys it! Sorry that this chapter took so long to get out!

Because I don't have that much time on my hands, to all those of you who have asked/will ask questions, I'll try to answer them, so long as said questions are within reason, and not something like "what's going to happen next, why is he/she doing this or that," etc. If you want answers to those kinds of questions, you'll just have to keep reading. Sorry! Answers to questions and even my responses to reviews will be posted here.

D.J. Scales- There won't be any Crown of the Gods in this story at all. Operation Overdrive hasn't even started yet, and it doesn't have anything whatsoever to do with this story. Sorry!

Destiny45- thanks!

melis3he- I can't tell you what's going to happen to Madison. You'll have to keep reading on to find that out. again, sorry!

* * *

Madison waited outside of the Rock Porium. It was 6:15, and Tristan was late. _'Just great. I agree to go out to eat with him as friends, and he bails on me. _Just as she turned to leave, she heard the roar of a motorcycle. She looked up, hoping and praying that it was Nick. The rider pulled up to the cur by Madison, turned the motorcycle off, and removed his helmet. She was shocked to see that the rider was Tristan and not Nick. 

"Hi. I didn't know you rode a motorcycle," Madison told him, the shock evident in her voice. The motorcycle looked like one that had frequently sat by the tree, but she knew that that couldn't be possible. _'It's not Nick's motorcycle, Madison. There you go again, getting your hopes up.'_

"Hello to you too. Yes, I ride a motorcycle, and I'm sorry I'm late. I had to make sure that everything was perfect for tonight. And these are for you," he replied as he pulled out a bouquet of roses. _'I've had this date planned for awhile, but your old beau needed to be taken out of the picture.'_

Madison put them up to her nose and inhaled the sweet scent of them. "They look and smell beautiful. Thank you."

"They're not as pretty as you are. I told you that you would look pretty even if you didn't change," Tristan admonished, not bothering to hide that he was attracted to her.

Madison blushed. "So where are we going?"

Tristan dismounted from the bike. "That's a surprise. We're going to be late if we don't leave. Come on." He gently took her hand in his and to both of their surprise, she didn't pull away. The pair walked a few blocks away from where the Rock Porium was until Tristan stopped in front of an elegant looking restaurant. "This is it," he told her, nodding at the restaurant.

Madison looked at the restaurant. Wire tables and chairs had been placed outside, with vines running up the walls. It was an Italian restaurant, Madison's favorite kind of food, and the setting was rather romantic. "I told you that we were just coming to eat as friends. You're not trying to romance me, are you?" she asked with a suspicious look and tone.

"Is it working?" Tristan asked her coyly.

"Nope," she instantly replied, her thoughts going to Nick.

"Oh. I'll just have to try harder then," he admonished with a grin. He took her hand and led her into the restaurant.

"Do you have a reservation?" the hostess inquired.

"Yes, we do. Under Dulhaine," Tristan responded.

The hostess scanned the list before her. "Ahh, here we go. Tristan Dulhaine, table for two. This way, please." The hostess grabbed two menus and began walking towards a table. Tristan and Madison followed after her. Madison looked around the restaurant, seeing the highly romantic atmosphere that had been set up. Tristan moved behind Madison and pulled her chair out, gesturing for her to sit down. She sat down and he helped her push the chair in.

"Thanks," Madison told him as he moved to his own seat.

"It was no problem. I was happy to do it for you," he smiled as he sat down.

The hostess handed them both their menus. "Someone will be here in a moment to take your drink orders. And make sure to let me know if you need anything….anything at all," she flirted with Tristan.

Tristan blatantly ignored her come on to him. "Thanks, we will."

The hostess walked away huffily, upset that he hadn't responded to her advance on him. Madison looked at Tristan. "She was just flirting with you, you know."

"Yes, I know. And I chose to ignore her. The company that I'm in right now is much more beautiful."

Madison blushed and focused intently on her menu, hoping that he hadn't seen her face. "Everything on here looks so expensive. I couldn't ask for you to pay for this."

"I've already told you, Maddy, it's not a problem at all. I've got it all taken care of. Feel free to order whatever you wish."

There were several moments of silence as they both perused their menus, making their decisions for their drinks and meals. When the waitress came, they both placed their orders. The meal seemed to fly by in no time at all. Tristan was surprisingly easy to talk to. Madison talked about her friends, her family, and work. The only thing or person that she didn't talk about was Nick. That was a personal subject, and it wasn't something that was going to talk about so soon. As she listened to Tristan tell her about himself, she was surprised by how similar they were. Tristan had also been adopted and had never met his real parents. He rode a motorcycle, like Nick. Nick was by far the cuter guy. _'Wait! Stop it, Madison! It's not a competition. You and Tristan are just friends, and you and Nick are...' _At this, Madison paused. She didn't quite know what they were now. She did know for sure though, that Nick hadn't sent her that letter. Before she knew it, they had both finished their food and the restaurant was ready to close.

"Well, I guess we'd better get out of here," Tristan told her, standing up from his chair and reaching for her hand. She stood up and reluctantly put hers in his, not wanting to seem impolite. He led her to the podium that they had come up to upon entering. "Hi. How much was our meal for?"

The waitress calculated everything that the pair had eaten. "That'll be $46.35."

Tristan pulled out his wallet before Madison could even reach for her purse. He shook his head vehemently at her, pulled out three twenty dollar bills and handed them to the waitress behind the podium. "Keep the change."

"Thank you, sir," the waitress replied, her displeasure at having been brushed off by him earlier disappearing at the thought of the large tip.

Tristan gently pulled Madison outside. "So where would you like to go now, m'lady?"

Madison glanced at her watch and saw that it was nearing eleven p.m. "It's getting kind of late. I should head home."

"You don't want to do anything else? A movie, maybe a walk?" he suggested hopefully.

"No, I should really be getting home. Vida will be worried," she lied, knowing that her sister had told her to stay out late so long as she was quiet when she returned to their apartment.

Tristan nodded his head, knowing that she wasn't being honest with him. "All right, then hop on. I'll take you home."

"No, I couldn't ask you to do that."

"Maddy, it's no problem. Besides, what kind of a guy would I be if I let you walk home this late alone?" he probed. He led her over to his motorcycle and reaching into a compartment, he conjured a helmet and handed it to Madison, acting as though it had really been there all along.

Madison took the proffered helmet, wondering how it could have appeared in that compartment when it had been empty. She shook her head, chalking it up to nothing and pulled the helmet over her head, securing it tightly. When she was finished, she saw that Tristan was already waiting for her, the engine roaring. She climbed on, uncertain as to what she should do and where she should hold him.

As if knowing what she was thinking, Tristan half-shouted to her, "You'll want to put your legs up and back towards the end a bit, and hold onto my waist. We wouldn't want you falling off, would we?" he chuckled at the end.

Madison lightly laughed back and moved her legs as he had instructed her. Holding him around his waist though, that she wasn't so sure of doing. That was an intimate position, and they were only just friends. She quickly weighed her options out. Either she could hold onto him, and get home in one piece, or she could choose to be stubborn and end up a big mess on the road. She quickly chose the former, wanting to get home and not caring what people thought about them. She knew that they were only friends and that was all that mattered. She tentatively reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, her body naturally going back as he kicked off and started towards her home. She tried to ignore the feelings of security and warmth that she got from holding him the way she was.

Before she knew it, they had reached the apartment complex that she lived at with Vida. They had moved out after graduation, deciding to live together. It was a great place to live, with carefully manicured lawns and soft colored buildings. She got off of the motorcycle and pulled off her helmet, handing it to him. She walked towards her door, surprised to see him following her.

"I told you I would see you home safely, and I am a man of my word," he reminded her. They reached her door and Madison pulled her key out to unlock the door.

"Thank you for dinner, for everything. I had a really great time tonight," she smiled at him.

"Maybe we can do it again sometime, just as friends though?" he queried shyly.

Maddy mulled it over in her head, thinking about it. They were only friends, there was no harm in doing things as friends, and Vida would get off of her back. But Maddy knew that the person that she really wanted to be hanging out with was Nick. She shook her inwardly. _'He doesn't want you, Maddy. You're supposed to move on without him,' her head screamed at her._

'_How can I? It's Nick, my friend. The guy that I fell in love with without meaning to,' she said back._ Maddy shook her head to clear her thoughts, knowing what her answer was. "Yeah, sure. I'd love to. But just as friends though."

"Of course. Only friends. Thank you for letting me take you to dinner. I had a wonderful time," he told her. He then leaned forward and placed a small kiss on her cheek. "And now, m'lady, I shall bid you good night." He smiled at her as he turned around and headed towards his motorcycle, a grin on his face.

Maddy stood at her door, her hand on the spot where he had kissed her. He had shocked her by doing that. She hadn't been expecting it at all. One second she was saying goodbye to her, and the next he had kissed her cheek. She shook her head once more, ridding herself of those thoughts. She unlocked the door and quickly went in, locking it behind her. She quickly and quietly dressed for bed so as not to wake Vida. She lay down in bed with a sigh, happy to be laying down. She looked at the blanket that rested beside her pillow. It was the very blanket that Nick had left in her possession right before he had left. She pulled the blanket to her, running her fingers over the fabric of it. No matter what happened, she would hold onto his blanket for him. She fell into a quick sleep, where she was plagued with dreams of Nick.

* * *

Tristan woke up the next morning, grinning wickedly. He quickly dressed, heading downstairs to his "basement." He had put Nick there the day before after he had passed out. Tristan had installed several cells that would remind any normal person of a jail cell. The only thing in each small space was a cot. All of it was mainly for show. He only really planned on having one captive down here, and if all worked out as it had to, that was all there would be. He leaned against the wall opposite of Nick's cell, his arms folded across his chest, waiting for Nick to arouse from his drug-induced unconsciousness. He didn't have to wait too long. After a few minutes, the dark-haired young man's eyes fluttered open.

Nick groaned as his eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the light. He felt like as though he had just been hit by a truck at 90 miles an hour. His hands slowly went to his head, rubbing his temples. That did nothing to dissipate the pounding headache that plagued him. He looked around, trying to regain his bearings. He seemed to be in a cell of some sort, but he had no idea as to where he was. He was lying on a small cot and there was a set of bars that had been put up. He slowly sat up, praying that he wouldn't get dizzy again.

"Where am I?" Nick asked aloud, not really expecting an answer. There was no one else down here as far as he could see.

"Ah, Sleeping Beauty finally awakens. Morning, sunshine," a voice rang out.

Nick turned his head sharply towards the sound of the voice, hissing at the pain that hit him in waves. "Who are you? Where are you?"

"Now, now, Nick. Those are both very loaded questions that hopefully you should know the answer to," the voice taunted him. Nick stood up slowly, ignoring the pain that was pounding in his head and the way that his conscience was screaming at him to just fall back into a peaceful slumber. He trudged towards the bars that impeded him from escaping. He reached out to touch them, then jumped back when he received what felt like an electric shock.

"What the--?"

"These aren't your normal bars; they're designed to keep you in. You can't use magic in there or you'll fry yourself. Don't even bother checking," the voice told Nick even as he whipped around to pull out his wand. "I already confiscated it, and even if you could do wandless magic, it still wouldn't help you."

"That's just great. You mind telling me who you are and why I'm here?" he asked with an irritated tone.

"I already told you that those were loaded questions, but if you insist," the voice said resignedly. The figure stepped out of the shadows, making himself known to Nick.

Nick gasped aloud as he shook his head. If he wasn't seeing it with his own eyes, he would have thought that there was a mirage, that he was hallucinating, anything. "You?! You're the one who kidnapped me? Why?"

"I had no choice. You were in the way of my plans," the figure replied.

"And to think that I thought that you were a good guy, Tristan. Who are you really?" Nick asked.

"Who am I? There are a few possible answers to that question, but the only answer that you'll get is that I'm Tristan Dulhaine."

Nick shook his head back and forth, as if thinking that if he did that, he would wake up and find out that this was a all a very bad dream, that he would find himself on the porch swing. "Why?" he asked again.

Tristan sighed. "As I told you before, you were in my way, and you were going to mess up my plans."

"What plans?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" _'Yes, very much so. Eventually, my friends and parents will come looking for me. Even Maddy will come,' Nick thought fervently. _

Tristan shook his head. He knew what Nick was thinking. "You stupid fool! You actually think that they're going to come and save you? Give me some credit! No one knows where you're at, and no one will find you. Not even your precious Madison," he leered with a suggestive tone.

At hearing Tristan's tone, Nick did something that he thought was smart, but was really not smart at all: he rushed towards the bars with outstretched arms, throwing his whole weight behind them, hoping to reach the neck of the man that stood on the other side. He was thrown backwards by an invisible force.

"What did I tell you? You have no chance whatsoever at getting out. I'm surprised that you're not yelling to be let out yet; most people usually start doing that right away," Tristan mocked amusedly.

"How do you know about Madison? You don't know anything," Nick sneered, hoping to figure something out. To his surprise, Tristan chuckled.

"I know a lot more than you think, _Phoenix_," he answered, using Nick's somewhat given Ranger name. "I know, for example, that you work at a place called the Rock Porium, or you did anyway," he said cryptically. "I also know that both you and Madison received letters from the other person, break-up letters, if you will."

"How do you know about that?"

"Dear boy, who do you think wrote them? Who do you think sent them?" Tristan responded with a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

Suddenly, Nick understood and knew that he had been right in thinking that his Maddy hadn't sent that letter. "So why? Why are you doing this? Why are you holding me here? What are your reasons?"

Tristan looked at his watch. "Would you look at the time, I've got to run. I'm meeting a certain girl in blue," he goaded, knowing that Nick would catch the reference.

"I swear, if you so much as go near her, I promise you that I'll…"

Tristan took two large strides forward and reached Nick's cell. "You'll what? You're quite incapacitated right now, Red ranger. But have no fear. I don't plan on hurting Madison." _'Just yet. If she does as I want, then there won't be a reason to harm her. She'll be all mine.' _He laughed aloud. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere else to be."

Nick shouted with frustration, running his hands through his hair. "Why?!" he shouted, not expecting an answer.

Tristan stopped in his tracks, having heard Nick's question. The boy didn't need to be given an answer, but Tristan turned and decided to give him a short, simple response. "Because of my father, that's why." With that, he turned on his heel and slammed the door shut, leaving Nick alone with his thoughts.

A/N- (ducks for cover) There is to be absolutely no throwing of any type of objects at me! I know, I'm a horrible person. MWAHAHAHA!(grins evilly) Thanks for the reviews!


	5. Confrontations of the Worst Kind

Confrontations of the Worst Kind

Chapter 5

Last revised: 4/28/07

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Power Ranger characters. Once again, the only character that I do own is Tristan Dulhaine. I also own the quote that is below.

This chapter is very much devoted to Pink-Green-White-4ever and Enigmaforum. Both of you are awesome, and thanks for sticking it out with me! Love you both! –hugs-

To all of those reviewers who wanted an update, here it is!

D.J. Scales- No, he isn't the son of Octomus. Again, this story has absolutely nothing to do with OO.

Enigmaforum-Told you before chica, no throttling Tristan, and no, he isn't going to get fed to Fireheart anytime soon. Sorry!

* * *

"I fall asleep every night, and I dream about many things and of many people, but the one person that is always at the forefront of my mind is you. Being with you, holding you, kissing you. You are the other half of me, and you know me better than I do. If we are meant to be, we will be. I know deep down that one day, we'll overcome the trials that fate has laid before us, and we will be together again." 

-Angel17712

Madison's body decided to wake her up at a rather early hour the next morning. She looked at her alarm clock and saw that she still had over an hour and a half before she even had to get up and get ready to go class and then to work at the record shop. She sighed to nobody in particular when her gaze fell upon the red blanket that Nick had trusted her with. She felt as though she was betraying him somehow. She knew that he had left it with her as a promise, and although they weren't anything more than just friends, she still felt like she was betraying him by going out with Tristan. "Stop it, Madison. You're not betraying Nick at all. _'But you're not waiting for him like you silently promised by taking the blanket either,' _her conscience decided to tell her. She groaned aloud. Life was something that was seriously screwed up.

Several hours later, a half tired Madison walked through the door to the Rock Porium. The only thing that she wanted to do was to curl up in bed with Nick's blanket covering her and remember all the good times that they had shared. She walked to Toby's office to clock in and was surprised to see Tristan perusing the CD shelves nonchalantly, as though he were waiting for someone.

"Tristan? What are you doing here?" asked Madison surprisedly.

Tristan had been turned around when she walked up and spun around to see her. "Hey, Maddy! I just thought that I'd come by, say hi, pick up a CD or two," he replied as he continued to browse.

Madison nodded her head, seemingly accepting his explanation. "I'm gonna leave you to it then. Let me know if you need any help?"

He nodded as she walked away. _'There is something that you can help me with, but not at the current moment,'_ he thought, as his lips curled into a wicked grin. He surveyed the shop. The Pink Ranger was at the back of the store, playing music, the Green Ranger was sitting in a chair, "supervising" as was usual, and the Yellow Ranger was stocking shelves. This was almost too easy. Madison would be his before any of them knew it and he would have what he wanted. He positioned himself so he was facing the cash register and continued to peruse the shelves. A moment later, he heard Madison come out of the office and overheard bits of her conversation to her sister: "Has he called or anything?" asked Vida.

"No, that's what has me worried. I just hope he's all right," Madison replied with hope in her voice.

Tristan chuckled quietly to himself. _'Nick is very far from all right, dear Madison. But don't worry; if everything works out according to plan, you won't have to worry about him ever again,' _Tristan thought with a smug grin.

Before he knew it, Vida hopped off of the stage and walked over to him. He quickly pretended to be perusing the selections when she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, you're Tristan right?" Vida asked.

"Yes, and who might you be, miss?" he replied politely.

"My name's Vida, I'm Maddy's sister. So you're the guy that she went out with last night right?"

"Yes, why? Is everything all right?" he asked with concern laced in his voice.

"Oh, everything's fine. I actually wanted to thank you for taking her out last night. She had a good time, and it's all thanks to you."

"We only went out as friends, Vida, nothing else," he explained. He turned around with his CD's and headed to the register. Vida moved to stand beside him and nudged him.

"Here's your chance if you want to ask her out again," she murmured. She scampered off to her DJ tables, hoping that her sister would accept if asked out again.

Tristan walked nervously up to the register. He had wanted to ask Madison to go out with him again since the night before, but he hadn't figured out a way to do it yet. Now that he was here where she worked, he had no excuse to not ask her and take his plans even further. He placed his purchases on the counter and watched as Madison turned around, a smile lighting her face when she saw him.

"So did you find everything okay?" Madison asked as she rang up his items.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I wouldn't have come up here to see your beautiful face if I hadn't," he flirted.

Madison's face flushed a deep red as she tried to ignore his blatant flirting with her and continued working. Tristan was a very attractive guy, and he was here, right in front of her. It was very obvious that he wanted to date her, but he hadn't said anything about going out on a date as more than just friends because she had asked him not to. Her thoughts floated to Nick. He wasn't back yet, and even though she wasn't sure if that letter had truly come from him, she knew that he would have wanted her to be happy.

"So…..um, I was wondering if you would want to go out again, maybe tonight? Just as friends though," Tristan asked.

Madison's smile faltered for a second as she weighed out her options. She could either stay at home, watch sad movies while eating a pint of ice cream, mope and curl up on her bed, or she could go out with Tristan and have a good time. While the first option sounded great, she knew that Vida would kick her butt if she found out that Madison had stayed home and passed up an opportunity to go out with Tristan. She bit her lip as she tried to make up her mind, finally coming to a decision after what seemed like eons to Tristan.

"Sure, but just as friends?"

Tristan grinned triumphantly. This was going to be easier than he had thought. "Just as friends. I'll pick you up out front at around seven, okay?" He took his purchases from her hands and turned to walk out the door. Madison looked at her watch and calculated if she would have enough time to get ready and meet him.

"All right, I'll see you at seven then?" he repeated, facing her.

She nodded her head. Tristan leaned over the counter and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Until tonight then, Madison." He turned around and walked out the door, leaving a shocked Madison in his wake.

Madison watched him leave, shocked at his actions. He had just kissed her on the cheek again, only it was in a public place this time! She stood behind the counter in a daze, not seeing Vida come running up to her.

Vida had seen the whole thing and was shocked to see that Tristan had kissed Madison. She overheard their entire conversation, so it surprised her to see the young man kissing her sister's cheek. She shook Madison a little, jogging her from her thoughts.

"Sis? You in there?" Vida asked.

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm fine," Madison replied.

"What was that all about? I thought that you two were only going to be going out as friends," Vida pointed out.

"I know, I know. Vida, I have no idea what to do. I mean, I want to wait for Nick, but he supposedly sent me that letter. Then there's Tristan. He's a really sweet guy, and I have no idea what to do. I want to go out with him, but I want to wait," Madison explained as she poured her heart out to Vida.

Vida gave Madison a comforting, supportive hug. "Look, here's my advice. Go out with Tristan and have a good time. You and Nick aren't technically together, so don't worry about it, okay? When and if Nick does come back, and if you and Tristan aren't dating then, just go out with Nick. How's that?"

Madison nodded her head, silently telling her sister thank you. She continued working, waiting till she could get off of work and meet Tristan.

* * *

Over the next two weeks, Madison went out with Tristan as many times as she could, whether it was for breakfast, lunch or dinner. If they weren't able to go out, Tristan would usually bring her food that he had cooked. Madison had come to trust him more and more, opening up to him and being wholeheartedly honest. Madison decided to finally tell him that she wanted them to be a serious couple the third night that they went out. On the eve of their two week anniversary, Madison decided to tell Tristan about Nick. 

"Hey, Tristan?" Madison said as she laid on his chest. Tonight they had decided to have picnic on the beach and look at the stars.

"Yes, Maddy?"

"I need to tell you something and be completely honest with you," she explained as she sat up.

He looked at her with confusion in his eyes as he joined her. "All right, I'm listening."

Madison took a deep breath and told him about everything that had happened with Nick. She explained that they had worked together, although she didn't go into full detail, and that over time, she had fallen in love with him. She explained how he had left with his parents and had given her his blanket to hold onto as a promise that she would wait for him. "That's why I was upset the day we met; I had just gotten a letter from him that was basically telling me to move on," she told him tearfully.

Tristan wiped the tears away that were falling. "Hey, it's not worth it, okay? Let's just go back to having a great time, hmm?"

She nodded in agreement, joining him on the picnic blanket. That night, he took her home as he always did and walked her to the front door of her apartment that she shared with Vida.

"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you come over to my house tomorrow night and I'll cook? We can eat in and I've got a lot of movies that we can watch."

Madison mulled it over in her head. She didn't have any plans for the following night with her friends or family, and she got off of work early. "Sure, let's do that. I had a great time tonight, thank you."

"No, thank you. I must be the luckiest man alive to have a girlfriend like you," he told her. He moved in and captured her lips in a soft kiss that spoke of how he felt about her. Before it could escalate, Madison broke the contact for air, but for another reason that she couldn't quite describe.

"See you tomorrow then?" Tristan remarked as he started walking towards "his" motorcycle.

"Yeah, tomorrow. Good night," Madison replied. She entered her apartment and shut the door with a small smile on her face.

Tristan walked back to the motorcycle with a grin on his face. He was so close to his goal now, he could practically feel it. Within a few more weeks, Madison would be his forever. "I think I'll have a visit with that dear 'ex-boyfriend' of yours, Madison," he remarked before getting on the motorcycle and riding towards his house.

* * *

Nick woke up in the morning with a groan. That was how he had come to greet every morning. Normally, he loved all parts of the day. The morning was usually when Tristan would come by for a short visit. Every morning, Nick tried to pry for more information about the man's father, but Tristan would never say a word on the topic. When he did come down, it was to bring Nick enough food and water that was to last him the entire day, and it was usually ice cold. Nick had learned one thing though: Tristan could do magic. The second day that Nick was there (or at least he thought it was the second), Tristan had waved his hand at one of the corners of the cell and a toilet, not unlike the kind that could be found in jail cells, appeared before his eyes. 

When Nick woke up, he had had absolutely no idea what was going to happen. Tristan came down as he always did, bringing food with him. This time, the food was not freezing, but rather hot and delicious. Tristan set the food down on the hard floor and stepped back, standing in relaxed pose as though this was something that he did all the time, which he technically did.

"What's going on? For days now, you've been bringing me cold food and now it's hot? What's the deal?" Nick asked suspiciously.

Tristan frowned as he glared at Nick. He obviously had no clue of what was to happen. "Just eat it. You're going to need your strength."

"Why? What are you planning? What is your deal?" Nick replied, sounding upset and slightly confused.

"Ah, ah, ah. Now, now Nick. Play nicely or you may never get out of here."

"What? What are you talking about? A few days ago, you were all for killing me or for me just rotting in here, and now you're thinking about letting me go?" If Nick was confused before, that was nothing compared to his state of mind now. He thought that he had Tristan figured out, but the guy was harder to figure out than a labyrinth.

"I am talking about…giving you a chance to get yourself out of here. Eat the food, it hasn't been poisoned, and quit asking questions." With that reply, Tristan turned on his heel and slammed the door to Nick's cell shut.

Now that Nick was alone, the silence was deafening. The comforting smells of hot breakfast food wafted to Nick's nose and his stomach rumbled loudly. He snatched up the food and began devouring it as the wheels in his head turned. What on earth did Tristan mean when he said that Nick would get a chance to get out of here? Nick knew that it was futile to hope that Tristan would just set him free, which left Nick wondering how he would be getting out of there. All sorts of questions buzzed around Nick's head like bees. Before long, he was done with the food that he'd been given. Nearly a second later, Tristan was back and snapped his fingers, the door swinging back at his command. He picked up the food containers and turned to walk out. When he reached the door, Tristan faced Nick.

"Get some rest. You have little to no strength right now, and I hate people who are weak." With that comment, he waved his hand and instantaneously, Nick's bed looked much more appealing. The paper thin mattress became thicker, and the pillow was practically calling his name. Tristan left Nick alone once again, but not before locking the door behind him firmly. Nick walked over to the bed and touched it tentatively, thinking it to be a mirage. When he discovered that it was just as real as he was, he sank into its comforting embrace, pulled the thick covers over himself and quickly fell asleep, his thoughts filled with Madison and how he was going to get out of his prison.

Tristan locked the heavy door once again even though it was pointless. He wasn't stupid; he knew that the Phoenix would fall asleep instantly. The bedding that Tristan had supplied him with before was worse than that of normal prison bedding. He wasn't doing any of this out of the kindness of his own heart, though. Tristan had learned to become a meticulous person. His father had taught him that well, over many _lessons,_ as his father had taken to calling them. Tristan needed Nick asleep for a few reasons. The boy looked like the walking dead, and even Tristan wasn't that unfair. Only Tristan knew what was going to happen later, and if it was to be fair, then Nick needed to get some sleep. The second reason that he needed Nick asleep was Tristan needed something from Nick that he knew that he couldn't get willingly, so he would take it while he slept. Although Tristan hoped that he wouldn't have to use what he would later take, he had been taught to have a contingency plan in case the first one didn't work. The last reason that he needed Nick asleep was that Madison was coming to his house tonight. He planned to cook for the two of them, and he wasn't going to take the risk of any interruptions. Tristan grinned to himself. So far, the plan was going just as he wanted, and she would be all his, he was sure of it. He went upstairs to get things ready; Madison would be arriving soon, and he wanted everything to be perfect.

----------------------

Three hours later, Tristan was dressed in a polo shirt, blue jeans and white Nike tennis shoes while he worked over the hot stove. He was making a meal that was reminiscent of their first date: fettuccine alfredo with shrimp and breadsticks. As he worked, he could hear Madison's car pulling into the driveway. He grabbed a towel from a nearby rack, wiping his hands on it as he walked to the front door. Before Madison could knock, he pulled the door open to see her fist in midair.

"Oh! Hey, I was just getting ready to knock," Madison told him shyly.

"I see that. Do you want to put your hand down and come in, or stand outside all night?" he teased her.

Madison smiled at him as she stepped into the beautiful house. Vaulted ceilings made the front room look even bigger than it was. The walls were painted a pale blue, and the furniture was modestly done, making the house flow together. Before she could compliment Tristan on his house, she found that his lips had settled over her own. She was startled and tensed up at the sudden action, but she quickly found herself relaxing into it. _'I wonder what it would be like to kiss Nick.' _Madison shook her head inwardly. They had had their chance, and although Madison wanted to believe that they were meant for each other, they weren't together, and Nick wasn't there. Deciding to stop things before they escalated too much, she broke them apart for air. She and Tristan had only just started doing more than just kisses on the cheek, and she wasn't ready for it to go very far.

"What smells so good?" Madison asked before he could ask her why they had stopped.

"That would be dinner. I just need to finish getting it all together, so just make yourself at home. You can pick out the movie if you want, and the bathroom is down the hall, first door on the right if you need to use it," he listed.

"Thanks, I'll be right back," she told him as she walked away.

"Madison?"

"Yes?"

"Don't go near the door that is at the very end of the hall, okay? It's really messy in there, and I would hate for you to get hurt somehow," he said sweetly.

Madison nodded her head and continued down the hallway, even though it seemed somewhat strange that he had asked her to stay away from that door specifically. She wasn't the kind of person to nose around in other people's business; that was something that she did on rare occasion. She found the bathroom and before entering it, she looked toward the end of the hallway where there was indeed a large oak door with an old-fashioned handle and lock on it. _'Hmmm, I wonder what it is that's in there that would make Tristan tell me to not go in there.' _Deciding that she would investigate later, Madison entered the bathroom.

Tristan finished preparing the food and put it on the table, serving each of them portions. He lit some candles around the dining room, casting an orange glow on the walls. He stood back and looked at his work. A white tablecloth covered the table that had been set for two with fine china. A glass pitcher of water sat in the middle of the table, along with the rest of the food. At the sound of footsteps, he looked up to see Madison coming back from the bathroom. Without saying a word, he moved to her chair and pulled it out for her and moved it back in as she sat down. He moved to his own chair that was by hers and sat down. They ate in silence for a few minutes, the sounds of silverware on plates being the only noises reverberating throughout the large room. Madison broke the silence by commenting on the house, and they continued to eat and talk until they were both full.

"Ohh, I can't even move right now, I'm so full," groaned Madison.

Tristan chuckled with a smile. The food had been delicious, just as he had planned. He stood up from his seat, and began to carefully take the china to the kitchen to clean it. Madison relaxed in her chair for several moments while Tristan went back and forth. The door that he had told her to stay away from had been niggling at her for the entire night. She sat there, thinking about what she would say. She eventually rose up from her chair, knowing that Tristan was busy with the dishes and was confident that she wouldn't be caught.

"I'm gonna go use the bathroom really quick before we start the movie, okay?" Madison told him, fully aware that she had no plans to do such a thing.

Tristan nodded his head vaguely, not paying much attention. _'That's good. He's engrossed in what he's doing, and he'll be too busy to notice where I am.' _She walked down the hallway, pausing at the bathroom door. She opened it, flipped the light on, and shut the door without entering it. She continued on toward the end of the hallway. Madison's brow crinkled as she walked closer and closer to the door that she had been told to stay away from. She gulped as she turned around to make sure that Tristan wasn't behind her. She inched closer to the door and reaching out with her left hand, she grasped the knob. Just as she had begun to turn it, she felt a vice grip on her upper arm.

"WHAT do you think you're doing? I told you to stay away from this door!" Tristan yelled at her.

Madison's eyes started to water from the pain, but she was determined not to let them fall. She knew that there would definitely be a bruise on her upper arm by the next morning, if not that night, from the way that he was holding her arm.

"Tristan, please! Let go of me, now!" Madison nearly begged.

Tristan didn't move as he looked between her and the door. Making up his mind, he turned on his foot and thrust Madison into a corner, causing her to hit the floor and curl up. He watched her for a moment before turning back to the door and closing it soundly, locking it with a wave of his hand, not caring if Madison found out what he had just done.

Madison pulled her knees up to her chest and swallowed back the tears as she looked at the bruise that was already forming on her upper arm. She looked at Tristan and watched as he locked the door shut with a wave of his hand. _'I will find out what is behind that door,'_ Madison vowed silently. She also saw that he had waved his hand and she had heard the door lock up.

Tristan turned around to look at Madison fully. He saw bruises that were quickly appearing on her upper arm where he had grabbed her. He hadn't wanted to do that, but she had been far too close to discovering that he was holding her precious Nick captive. He kneeled down to get close to her, knowing that she wouldn't be happy with him. He cautiously reached a hand out to touch her and wasn't at all surprised when she cringed. He'd been expecting that, but he hadn't anticipated the tongue lashing from her that came next.

"Get away from me! DON'T touch me! I thought I knew you, and it turns out that I don't. Some guy you turned out to be. Do you treat all of your girlfriends like this?" Madison nearly yelled. She was pissed off and hurt. No one had ever handled her like that. _'Nick wouldn't have done that,'_ she found herself thinking. Once again, she shook her head, trying to clear it of its thoughts. Her mind was constantly comparing Nick to Tristan, and this was no exception.

Tristan blanched. Her words hit him like a slap across the face. His shoulders fell, and he appeared to be upset. "You're right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that, and I do apologize. I reacted the wrong way, and that wasn't right. Can you forgive me?" he asked her. He knew that she was angry with him right now, and he had to get back in her good graces if he still wanted his plan to work.

Madison looked at him coldly. Anger was radiating off of her in waves, and she needed to think. "I can't talk to you right now, I need to be alone and think." Madison stood up on her own and strode into the living room, snatching up her purse and jacket. She put her jacket on and walked toward the front door, but stopped when Tristan called her voice.

"What, Tristan?" she replied agitatedly.

"I really am sorry, I didn't mean to," he apologized once more.

"If you didn't mean to do it, you wouldn't have done it in the first place," she told him firmly. "I can't be here right now, I'm going home. Don't try to stop me and don't call me."

Tristan nodded, knowing that he would have to work harder to regain her trust. A thought occurred to him. What if she told her friends? They would be infuriated that he would dare to touch her like that, and he surely wouldn't be getting what he wanted then. He thought quickly, trying to come up with something when it came to him.

"Can you please not mention this to everyone else? It was a mistake, something that I won't be doing anytime soon. I just don't want to get them involved," he asked her.

Madison nodded and slipped out the front door, closing it behind her. She ran to her car and got in, tears slipping down her cheeks. She sat in the driver's seat of her car and sobbed, clutching the steering wheel until her knuckles turned stark white. Her arm wasn't hurting nearly that bad now, but the words and actions still hit her with a pounding force. Everything had happened so fast and it had quickly spiraled out of control. _'I wish Nick was here. God, I miss him so much.' _When her tears subsided, Madison pulled her keys out of her purse and headed back towards the apartment. She knew that it would be empty tonight, as Vida had a date with Xander. She shook her head. Those two were one of the most unlikely couples that anyone would have thought of, but they were a great couple.

Her mind wandered as her body was on autopilot, getting her safely to the apartment. Madison entered the apartment, and it was empty, just as she had thought. She entered her room and moved to the large, round mirror that rested on her oak dresser. She removed her jacket and looked in the mirror, examining the bruises that now marred her skin. The bruises were now a sickly bluish-purple color, and pain shot through her arm from time to time. Madison closed her eyes and sighed, wanting to just pretend as though it all hadn't happened. She stripped off her clothes and dressed for bed. She lay in bed, wishing that a certain Red ranger was there with her. Her gaze fell on his blanket, which she snatched up immediately, inhaling the scent of it. It still smelled like him, a mixture of leather and cologne, even though she had had it for this long and had held it for so many nights as she slept. Memories washed over her like water, and her eyes drooped shut. That night, she dreamed of herself and Nick, together, like they were supposed to be.

* * *

As soon as the front door shut, Tristan sighed out loud to himself. He had just done something that was very stupid by treating Madison the way he had. Trying to regain her trust would take lots of work, and he would have to work quickly. Although he hadn't anticipated this, he did know one thing: _'At least I have tonight to come up with a plan to get her to trust me again.' _He quickly finished putting everything from dinner away, wishing that Madison was there with him. They had been dating for two weeks now, and he had fallen for her completely. He wanted her not only because of the prophecy, but because he was in love with her. He went to his room upstairs and quickly got ready for bed. Less than five minutes later, he was staring at the ceiling, wishing that she was there with him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. _'Focus, you idiot! If you want to get her back, you're going to have to come up with something, and fast.' _Tristan lay in bed for the next forty-five minutes, attempting to come up with something, but his thoughts always went back to her. He eventually fell asleep, with thoughts of her flooding his mind. 

The next morning, Tristan awoke in a sour mood, having remembered the events of the previous night. Madison had come close to finding Nick hidden below his house, and he had acted foolishly, resulting in Madison leaving his house and not accepting his apology. Add in the fact that he hadn't slept at all because he'd dreamt about Madison all night, and Tristan was one guy who'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed. He still hadn't figured out a way to get Madison to trust him, and that made him extremely frustrated, and with no one to take his frustrations out on. Unless… He had told Nick that he would have a chance to get himself free, and Tristan would have to come through on his word if that happened, and he could not let Nick win. Smirking to no one but himself, he got out of bed and was dressed in record time. He went downstairs, prepared some food for his captive, and headed towards where he was holding the Red Ranger. He waved his hand and unlocked the door, yanking it open swiftly. He descended the stone stairs, not surprised to see that Nick was as per usual awake.

"You're awake; I take it then that you had a good sleep last night?" Tristan remarked casually as he unlocked the cell and entered it. He closed the door behind himself and after he relocked it, he placed the food on the floor in between himself and Nick. He leaned against the door and met Nick's gaze.

"You know, I still haven't poisoned your food. If I were going to kill you, I'd do it some other way," Tristan told him dryly.

"Well, that makes me feel so much better," Nick replied as he took the food and began to eat it, hoping to soothe his growling stomach. At the current moment, Nick wasn't sure of what to think of Tristan. The guy had kidnapped him, imprisoned him, had deprived him of a normal bed and food, and now Tristan was letting him sleep in a comfortable bed and giving him hot meals.

"It should, you know. I'm going through far too much trouble with you, and it's all just to make sure that you stay out of my way."

Nick stopped eating to regard Tristan warily. He didn't trust Tristan at all, and those words didn't make him feel any better about the situation at hand. "You're making sure that I stay out of your way because why? What did I ever do to you?"

"Never you mind that. Eat your food, and then we'll talk about what I told of yesterday when I came to visit you then. Do you remember what I told you?" Tristan asked.

Nick picked up his fork and began eating the eggs that were on the plate before him. He remembered what Tristan had said; how could he forget? Tristan had said something about giving him a chance to get himself out of the prison that he was in. But how? Nick knew that no matter what it was that his captor had up his sleeves that it would not be easy. Knowing that Tristan was expecting an answer, Nick nodded his head slightly as he finished up his breakfast.

Tristan caught the slight nod and smirked. So he did remember. This was going to be fun and very sweet. "All right, then. Follow me if you want to find out how you will get yourself free, and don't even think about trying to run away."

Tristan wasn't stupid. Before he had even let Nick out of his containment, he had placed a spell over the area so Nick wouldn't get far, if for some reason Nick gained the upper hand and managed to knock Tristan out. Tristan walked over to a wooden chest and opened it, his gaze falling upon the swords that were there. He waved his hands at the swords, muttering a spell under his breath. "Pick a sword, it doesn't matter which one you choose. They are all lightweight now." To prove this, Tristan chose a sword for himself that looked as though it weighed about ten pounds and he easily swung it in an arc.

"What's the point in my choosing a sword? What are we doing with them?" Nick asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Tristan rolled his eyes. The boy's blasted curiosity would be the end of him one of these days. Rather than choosing to give him a curt response, Tristan chose to surprise Nick. "You were trained in the art of battle, yes? Sword fighting and hand-to-hand combat?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with it. You and are I going to fight. The winner will get whatever he wishes from the loser. Pick a sword and meet me in the circle," Tristan told him roughly as he pointed to the circle that lay not very far away.

As Tristan walked away, Nick turned back toward the chest and examined the swords. All of them looked to be very sturdy, and they were all very lethal. Some had short handles, others had long ones, but all of the swords shone in the light and were very sharp. After several moments of perusing, Nick chose a sword that reminded him of the sword that he had used as a Ranger, only this sword didn't have a curve to it. The sword that Nick chose had a medium-sized handle, with black and red jewels lining the edges of the handle. The blade itself was a good two feet long with a double edge. Pleased with his choice, Nick shut the doors for the chest and walked over to the circle, where Tristan stood waiting very patiently. This alone should have been a sign to Nick that something was wrong; he would later come to recognize that Tristan being calm meant that something bad would indefinitely happen.

When Nick stepped over the line and into the circle, he felt like he had just plunged headfirst into a freezing cold lake. He turned around, expecting to see something behind him, but he was only met with a blank stretch of gray-black wall.

"There's a barrier that's been put on this circle. Neither of us will be allowed to leave until there is a winner or if I say the counterspell to release it. I take it from your look earlier that you did remember what I said to you yesterday?" Tristan asked again.

"What about it? And what are we doing anyway?" Nick queried.

"We're going to have ourselves a sparring match, you against me. You don't have your wand, and I sincerely doubt that you can do wandless magic, I won't be using my magic against you, as it wouldn't be fair. The winner gets whatever he wishes from the loser."

"So this is what you meant? In order for me to get out of here, I have to beat you, and that's it?"

Tristan nodded. "You're a smart one. But should you lose, you will continue to stay here in the cell, and I shall not be healing any injuries that you might….incur. It's your choice, take it or leave it, it makes no difference to me."

Nick stood across from Tristan, thinking about his choices. He had two options. Either he could fight Tristan and possibly get the chance to get out of there, or he could not fight Tristan and be stuck there for the rest of his life. The latter was out of the question. All Nick wanted to do was see Madison again and tell her how much he cared about her.

"All right, we'll fight." Nick knew that if it came down to it that he could do magic without using his wand. Despite the warning that he had received not to, Nick did try to set himself free. After three hours and about four hundred tries, Nick realized that it was futile. Tristan hadn't been lying when he had told him that Nick wouldn't be able to get out.

Nick stuck his hand out. "We'll shake on it; you'll have my word and I'll have yours."

"What, you don't trust me? I'm hurt," Tristan replied in mock pain.

"You expect me to trust you? And this is coming from the guy who kidnapped me. No, thanks. I wouldn't trust you with my life, and if I could be out of here, back home and with the girl that I'm still in love with already, I would be." Nick continued to hold his hand out, waiting for Tristan to shake it in agreement.

"Oh, you mean Madison? It's a shame that you weren't there to comfort her when she received your letter. The poor thing was crying her eyes out and she doesn't even deserve you. Luckily, I was there to comfort her," Tristan taunted.

At one point during Tristan's speech, Nick's hand had dropped to his side, no longer hanging in midair. At the thought of Tristan "comforting" the woman he loved, all rational thought leaped out of Nick's head as he surged forward, his own sword aimed for Tristan's chest.

Tristan saw the anger and fury that was building up inside of Nick, so he was more than ready for the attack. He sidestepped it and brought his own sword up to meet Nick's in a strong hold, using a bit of force to counter the amount that Nick was putting behind his own sword. "Don't worry. I haven't hurt her. Not yet, anyway."

"If you so much as touch her, I swear I will…." Nick was cut off by the abrupt amount of force that Tristan used to push him away.

"You'll what? Let me remind you again that you are stuck here, unless you manage to beat me and I don't see that happening in the foreseeable future. And I don't recall hearing Madison complaining last night when I was kissing her and touching her. She is a very…" Tristan was unable to finish his sentence, as Nick had rushed him and was quickly attacking. The two went back and forth, trading blows and blocking parries. This went on and on for nearly several minutes, until somehow, both had managed to cut the other somewhere on their body. Tristan had managed to cut Nick's chest, and Nick had cut off quite a bit of the skin on Tristan's left forearm. Both of them were bleeding profusely, and yet, neither of them stopped to examine their wounds. Stopping required concentration and examination, and stopping to examine one's wound was as bad as forfeiting.

Nick's arms were killing him, the pain in knots that pressed against the muscles in his body as they screamed in protest. There was no way that he was going to let this thing win. _'I am going to get out of this prison one day and when I do, you had better watch out, Tristan Dulhaine.' _Although his body was in excruciating pain, Nick continued to block, dodge, and thrust, using his sword. Both of them obtained even more wounds, but neither one lost anything serious. Neither one gained the upper hand, until Tristan managed to land a kick to Nick's chest, making Nick sprawl out on the floor. He waved a hand in the air, and a deep red shimmered before disappearing.

"You lose, for today anyhow. You lack the ability to hide your emotions in a fight and you let them get the better of you," Tristan panted. Tristan waved his hand once at Nick and began walking towards Nick's cell. Before Nick knew it, he was being dragged across the floor by an invisible hand.

Tristan yanked the sword from Nick's grip before he threw him bodily into the cell, smiling sadistically when he heard the younger boy's groans of pain. "That was definitely interesting. We shall have to try that again sometime." Tristan tossed both of the swords onto the floor, waved his hands, and watched as they flew back into the chest. He walked up the stone stairs, waving his hand to make the door of Nick's cell shut itself.

Nick laid on the floor in pain. He had lost severely, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to do that again anytime soon. That fight told him that although he was a good fighter, he was in bad form. He didn't know how he had done it, but he somehow managed to crawl over to his bed and hoist his own body onto it. Large cuts and bruises adored his body on his chest, his back and his sides. He shifted around painfully, trying to avoid all of the wounds that had been inflicted upon him. When he was as comfortable as one could be with numerous wounds all over their body, he fell into a fitful sleep.

While he slept, he dreamt about many things. He dreamt about his family, his friends, his home, but the one person that was always in his dreams was Madison. Usually it was her telling him that she loved him and missed him, other times he remembered memories of the two of them.

_Without any warning at all, Nick found himself lying in a beautiful lush field that was filled with wildflowers and long grass. He turned his head slightly and was shocked to see Madison next to him. _

"_Where am I? How did I get here?" Nick asked relentlessly. _

"_You're safe, and here with me. That's all that matters," Madison replied as she began to clean and bandage his wounds. When she got to one that was on his shoulder, he hissed at the burning of peroxide on it. She bent her head to the wound and blew on it, making shivers emanate through his body. _

"_Is that better?" she asked._

"_It's more than better, it's great," he told her. He loved her so badly, and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her. She kept working on his wounds and when she was finished, she leaned back on her feet. _

"_All done," she said as she finished. Nick gingerly sat up, the pain shooting through him like a rocket. _

"_Thanks, I owe you one."_

"_No, you don't."_

_The two of them sat there for several moments. The tension was so thick that it could have been cut with a knife. Madison gathered her courage and gently put her arms around him._

"_I've missed you so much. I wish you were here with me, instead of wherever you are," she cried. The tears rolled down her cheeks as she didn't bother trying to stop them._

"_Hey, don't cry over me, okay? I'm here now, and I'm not gonna leave anytime soon," Nick assured her with a calm voice. He rubbed her back in small circles while whispering soft things in her ear. Although Madison had stopped crying, her body shivered as she pulled back to look at him. _

"_I have to go now, and I don't really want to."_

"_Then stay here. Stay with me, where no one can bother us and we can just be together," Nick replied. His forehead leaned against hers as she shook. His lips had a mind of their own as they made their ways towards hers. Identical jolts shot through both of them at the contact of their sealed lips. Nick kissed her sweetly, putting everything into this kiss, and she responded obligingly. She pulled back before the kiss could escalate any further, knowing that she had to leave soon. Madison shook silently from the sobs that threatened to wrack her body. She backed away from him, knowing that if she kept standing so close to him, she would never leave. _

"_I can't do that, Nick, I'm sorry. I love you so much. I need you to fight for me," Madison told him as she started to cry again. _

"_What? What do you mean? Maddy, what the hell is going on?"_

_She swallowed and ran forward. She threw her arms around him and held onto him as if he were her lifeline. "Just fight for me. Fight to come back to me, please. I need you," she cried. _

_Before Nick could begin to try and calm her down, an invisible force pulled her away from him. She fought as hard as she could against it, and Nick also tried to run after her to pull her back, but it was of no good. It was as though he had somehow become adhered to the place where he was standing. His legs were completely frozen in place and no amount of pulling or tugging would make them budge._

"_Maddy, come back! God, I need you!" Nick cried out. _

"_Just keep fighting for me! I love you..."Her words echoed over and over again, practically carving themselves into his mind. For him to know that there was nothing that he could do to save her made him feel as though he wasn't worthy of being with her, as though he didn't deserve her. A scream from the distance pulled Nick out of his dream induced slumber._

Nick shot up, grimacing in pain. He was sweating all over, and his chest heaved from the nightmare. He looked at his wounds and was surprised to see that they were somewhat healed.

"What the hell? Why am I having these dreams? And why did she leave?" So many questions were zooming around Nick's head that he soon felt dizzy. Before he could lie back down, he collapsed from the mental and physical trials that he had endured, no longer able to stay awake. Little did he know that his torment was far from over; it was only just beginning.

A/N- Whew! This is by far the longest chapter that I have ever written. Sorry that it's taken me so long to update this. Now that the semester is over, I'm going to try to update a lot more often. This chapter is just where it all begins! And yes, I am very aware that many of you want to kill Tristan. I want to kill him too, but I can't, and none of you can either, sorry! Thanks to all those who reviewed last chapter! -smiles-


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